PASADENA, CA — It’s the mark of an overmatched team to use gimmicks to search for a seam. In that sense, old money Alabama was clearly overmatched against new money Indiana at an overcast Rose Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 1.

The two teams’ philosophies looked diametrically opposed in the first half. Where Indiana used a methodical offensive attack to move the ball north-to-south against the Crimson Tide, Alabama leaned on gadgetry to try find cracks in the last undefeated FBS team in the country. It failed miserably, with Alabama falling to Indiana 38-3 in a completely lopsided College Football Playoff matchup.

It was a browbeating so thorough, by the end would-be Alabama tacklers looked completely disinterested in bringing down Indiana ball-carriers.

Alabama’s shenanigans came to a peak with Indiana up 3-0 with 12:44 in the second quarter. On its own 34-yard line, Alabama went up to the line of scrimmage on a fourth-and-1 with Daniel Hill lining up in the wildcat.

Indiana responded with a timeout.

The Crimson Tide subsequently lined up to punt with Ty Simpson as an upback, with Simpson sprinting under center to try to spook Indiana into jumping offsides.

When that didn’t work, Alabama took a timeout.

Instead of cutting his losses, however, Kalen DeBoer again sent the offense out, again with Hill in the shotgun. Hill pitched the ball to Germie Bernard in motion on a jet sweep before Indiana swarmed him short of the line to gain, giving the Hoosiers the ball on the Alabama 34-yard line and leaving Crimson Tide fans across the country muttering, “too cute” under their collective breath.

Indiana capitalized on the opportunity, with Charlie Becker hauling in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Fernando Mendoza on the ensuing possession to procure a 10-0 lead and the first Indiana touchdown in Rose Bowl history.

“Just felt like it was going to be one of those games where you gotta take advantage of possessions,” DeBoer said of the choice to go for it after the game. He later said the choice to hard count before calling a timeout was to buy some time. “I try not to be reckless. I try to be aggressive. … Did the punt slash try to hard count, just give me a little more time to think about what my decision would be. Give some of the guys on the sideline a talk through the play-call. And so I really felt like … I was committed to going for it to try to make it happen.”

The sequence took approximately six minutes of real-life time and felt like a microcosm of how both teams approached the CFP quarterfinal matchup. Alabama desperately felt like it had to make something happen. Indiana was ready with a surgical counterstrike.

That’s the hallmark of a Curt Cignetti team. Despite his lamentations about poor practices and the challenges of traveling to Southern California, which Cignetti told media members after the game was a message to his team through the television, Indiana showed up when it mattered and never looked off kilter in any phase outside of a poor first series.

When it was 10-0 and Alabama began to put together a drive in answer to Indiana’s touchdown, it ended with a shot that left Ty Simpson shaken, causing him to fumble away what was to that point Alabama’s best scoring opportunity. Indiana held Alabama to 93 yards in the first half, including 64 passing yards, and was dominant at the line of scrimmage.

The second half opened with much of the same. A screen pass to Ryan Williams was blown up for a loss of two to put Alabama behind the sticks. Then another screen pass with more movement than substance to Josh Cuevas fell incomplete. On third-and-12, Simpson checked down and Alabama punted again, with the Tide’s pre-snap window dressing failing once again.

Entering this game, teams with a bye in the 12-team CFP were 0-6. So how did Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and company avoid the hangover?

“Coach Cignetti did a fantastic job with the trickledown effect of really making sure there was no complacency,” Mendoza told reporters after the game. “Because you have 26 days off, it’s very, very tough, especially on the first drive as an offense — myself included — I think we got off to a slow start.

‘And then other than that, once we got our feet wet we had the ball rolling and got back to playing Indiana brand of football. And so I think it was great overcoming that challenge as a team having such a long time off, but I think we overcame that challenge and it showed on the field today.”

There is no way to twist it: Alabama didn’t lose the Rose Bowl. Indiana won it. And did so in dominant fashion.

The Hoosiers entered this game as the better team, and left it in another league. Mendoza vindicated a more disparate Heisman vote than many expected with a nearly flawless game, going 14-for-16 with 194 yards and three touchdowns. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack tried to dial up pressure, but Mendoza broke the pocket and had multiple scrambles that kept Indiana on schedule.

In that regard, sometimes just being on time is the difference. Alabama’s inability to run the ball caught up to it on one of college football’s great stages, with the Crimson Tide finding themselves behind the sticks time and time again. Alabama was just 3-of-11 on third down, whereas Indiana was 9-of-14 thanks in large part to avoiding negative plays.

The game ended with a perfect summation of its tenor: On fourth-and-4 at the two-minute mark, with Alabama about to get the ball back down 35, the Crimson Tide jumped offsides to let Indiana take a knee to kill the clock.

There is no one stat that explains Indiana’s dismantling of the Crimson Tide. It was a beatdown, top to bottom, and the score reflected it. Now, Indiana goes into a semifinal matchup against Oregon in a highly anticipated rematch with sky-high expectations. It lived up to its No. 1 seed, shook off the curse of CFP rest, and legitimately looked like the best team in country.

So what will its follow-up performance look like?

“Well I’m not gonna assume anything like, we’ve bounced back from a number of big wins and we’ll be fine,” Cignetti said. “Because it’s process. So we’ll have a very big challenge ahead of us next week, it’s very hard to beat a really good football team twice. There’s no doubt about that.”

AI-assisted summary
• Coach Curt Cignetti publicly criticized his team’s practice to motivate them after a 26-day layoff.
• The Hoosiers’ victory broke a trend of top-seeded teams losing after a first-round bye in the 12-team playoff format.
• Indiana’s defense and disciplined play allowed them to capitalize on Alabama’s mistakes.

PASADENA, CA — Indiana coach Curt Cignetti made it known prior to the 2026 Rose Bowl he didn’t like the long layoff his team had, last playing in the Big Ten championship game 26 days ago on Dec. 6.

A day before kickoff, he told the media he didn’t like how his team had been preparing. Practice “didn’t meet the standard,” giving an inkling the No. 1 Hoosiers may be in trouble.

But you know those times when someone loudly says something to another, with the intent someone else will hear it? 

That’s exactly what Cignetti was doing. It wasn’t meant for the media, it was directed right at his team. He didn’t want his team just eavesdropping, he was “eavesthrowing,” trying to get a message through his players.

“Sometimes my messaging is intended for the players to hear to further reinforce my message to them,” Cignetti said.

They heard it loud and clear.

There was no slip up as Indiana showed no rust in their dominant 38-3 victory over No. 9 seed Alabama in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, proving that this team has what it takes to win its first national championship.

It hasn’t been easy to come off such a long layoff in the 12-team format. All the top-four seeds last season made one-and-done appearances. This season’s playoff started the same way with Ohio State and Texas Tech falling flat in its opening games.

Six games into this new postseason system had people wondering whether there really is something wrong with how this is structured – then Indiana put that theory to bed.

Why? It sounds too simple, but Cignetti and Indiana were just prepared, showing this program that isn’t used to these moments knows exactly how to thrive in them. Cignetti made it seem like this team might be shaky, but in reality it was more than prepared the moment they learned Alabama was next.

“I thought our mindset was really good,” Cignetti said. “I liked our prep, for the most part, once we knew who the opponent was.”

Indiana doesn’t panic, stays on course

It didn’t start out smooth. Indiana went three-and-out on the opening possession that ended with Fernando Mendoza getting sacked.

Would that cause panic? That just wasn’t going to be Indiana. It stuck to what has worked all season: let the defense flex it muscle and the offense will deliver the lethal blows. Alabama was the ones that needed to get creative.

Both happened, with the Hoosiers letting the Crimson Tide make those self-inflicted mistakes and not straying away from its identity. 

“Indiana did a great job of doing, playing their game,” said Alabama defensive lineman Tim Keenan III. “They capitalized on our mistakes. Indiana had a great plan for us and they executed well.”

There aren’t many things that scare Cignetti and Indiana, but one thing they are “afraid to death” of is complacency, said Indiana center and Rose Bowl offensive MVP Pat Coogan. This team isn’t just content with making it to the big stage, instead insistent on putting on an exceptional performance the moment the stage lights turn on. 

Indiana sent a message to the country there is a right way to prepare when you don’t play a game for nearly a month and the entire season rides on it.

Maybe team that get first-round byes ought to take a page or crash course from Cignetti. Even though it seems like he continues to shatter expectations and wow the sport, how he had Indiana more than ready for Alabama may be one of his most impressive feats yet.

Now the Hoosiers have just eight days before playing Oregon in the Peach Bowl semifinal. The Ducks better be ready, because the Hoosiers absolutely will.

“Once we got our feet wet, we got the ball rolling and we got back to playing Indiana brand of football,” Mendoza said. “I think it was great overcoming that challenge as a team, having such a long time off. I think we overcame that challenge and that showed on the field today.”

No Lane, no problem.

Behind a historic second-half performance from Trinidad Chambliss and a game-winning 47-yard field goal from Lucas Carneiro, No. 6 Mississippi was able to win a shootout and pull off the come-from-behind victory over No. 3 Georgia in the CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal on Thursday, Jan. 1, advancing to the CFP Fiesta Bowl semifinal.

And the Rebels did it all without the coach who led them to their first-ever CFP berth in Lane Kiffin.

Chambliss set a new Sugar Bowl record by completing 13 consecutive passes, which included two ridiculous throws on the run to Kewan Lacey in the fourth quarter, before an incompletion on a batted down pass at the 6:19 mark of the fourth quarter. He finished 30-of-46 passes for 362 yards and two touchdown passes.

The Rebels’ five-point win over the Bulldogs served to be the closest game of the CFP quarterfinals, and the closest game of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff. Next up for the Rebels will be No. 10 Miami in the CFP Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Given the nature of the upset and the fact Kiffin infamously left the Rebels before their CFP berth, social media didn’t hold back when it decided to roast the current Tigers coach, who spent the day watching Kim Mulkey and the LSU women’s basketball team get upset by Kentucky.

Here’s a snippet of those reactions:

College football social media roasts Lane Kiffin after Ole Miss CFP win

Here’s a look at social media after Ole Miss’ win over Georgia in the CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal:

By its own well-established standards, last season was a massive disappointment for Stanford’s women’s basketball team.

In their first campaign in the Atlantic Coast Conference and without longtime coach Tara VanDerveer patrolling the sidelines, the Cardinal missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the Reagan Administration.

Between 1988 and 2024, 36 NCAA women’s college basketball tournaments were contested and Stanford was part of every single one. The Cardinal made 15 Final Fours and won three national championships. Like UConn, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Baylor, Stanford had established itself as one of the sport’s blue bloods and a consistent contender.

So last season was seen as an aberration. In Kate Paye’s first season as head coach, Stanford went 16-15 and 8-10 in ACC action as they adjusted to the coast-to-coast league. The Cardinal were eliminated in the first round of the conference tournament by a Clemson team with a losing record. Then, they lost to Portland at home in the second-tier WBIT.

But this is still Stanford. The standard is still high.

In women’s basketball, this program is supposed to compete for championships.

And, in Paye’s second year in charge, the Cardinal seem to be well on their way to righting the ship.

They entered their first ACC road swing this week with 12 victories, including wins over rival Cal, former Pac-12 foes Washington and Oregon and at Gonzaga. Powered by talented rookies like Lara Somfai and Hailee Swain, and guided by steady-handed veterans like Nunu Agara, Chloe Clardy and Courtney Ogden, this Stanford team looks more like the standard and not the group that stumbled time and time again a year ago.

But on Thursday, they fell hard. In front of a sold-out crowd at the historic Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Cardinal lost 74-46 to North Carolina State. Stanford was outscored 23-9 in the fourth quarter, turned the ball over 21 times, and shot a season-low 30% from the floor.

“I just felt like things kind of snowballed on us, and the wheels kind of came off the wagon. For the first time, I think our defense let us down,” Paye told USA Today. “It was a good, old-fashioned ass kicking.”

This is the hurdle for Stanford now, the one it failed to clear most of the time last season. Paye’s team has to figure out how to win conference road games time zones away from California. The Cardinal were 2-7 in such games last season.

If Stanford has aspirations of making the NCAA Tournament this March, that mark has to be better. What went down at N.C. State on Thursday can’t happen again.

“Up into this point, our defense had really been something we hang our hat on,” Paye said. “We’ve rebounded decently. I just feel like we’ve yet to really get our flow offensively, and I think because of that, it puts a lot of pressure on our defense. But our defense has really been our strength, our togetherness.”

Defense and rebounding has been crucial to Stanford’s success this season. Nationally, entering Thursday, they ranked seventh in assists allowed per game (8.6), 11th in defensive rebounding rate (76.4) and 28th in points allowed per scoring attempt (0.88). The women’s basketball analytics site HerHoopStats also gives the Cardinal a defensive rating of 81.0, which is 37th in the country. In their wins over Cal, Oregon, Washington and Gonzaga, Stanford won the rebounding margin in three of those clashes, losing the battle on the boards to only the Huskies.

Somfai has been a big help in that department this season. The 6-foot-4 freshman from Australia — tabbed as a top 12 recruit in the 2025 class by ESPN — grabbed 16 rebounds against N.C. State. With averages of 10.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, she and Bonnie Deas of Arkansas are the only freshmen in the country averaging double-doubles.

“Lara is an incredible rebounder. She’s physical in there. She has a great nose for the ball,” Paye said. “And, you know, it’s hard when you’re a freshman — like, we’re counting on you.”

Somfai isn’t the only rookie Stanford is leaning on. Point guard Hailee Swain was the eighth-ranked recruit in her class by ESPN and is averaging 9.6 points and 1.5 assists per game.

“They’re in the starting lineup for a reason. It is not easy being a freshman. There’s a lot coming at you, but they’ve done fantastic. And I just think as they get more experience, they’re going to get better and better, and you’re going to kind of see some of the other stuff in their game really shine,” Paye said. “… But we need more from them.”

Somfai and Swain were Stanford’s most high-profile acquisitions of the offseason. In the era of the transfer portal, NIL and revenue sharing, the Cardinal are doing some things the traditional way: bringing in freshmen with potential and developing them. 

Among all Power 4 programs, Stanford has the least number of transfers on its roster. Junior forward Mary Ashley Stevenson, who is in her second season with Stanford after leaving Purdue, is the lone player on the roster who didn’t begin her collegiate career as a member of the Cardinal. Stanford is also tied with Washington for the Power 4 programs who had the least amount of portal movement last offseason, in terms of the combined number of players coming in or going out. The Cardinal had two players transfer out from last season’s squad: Tess Heal to Kansas State and Jzaniya Harriel to SMU.

“What it means to me is loyalty,” junior Nunu Agara said at ACC Tip-Off. “It speaks to what Stanford is about as a program.”

Stanford’s continuity could give it an advantage in its second season in the ACC. Most of the players on the roster have endured the long cross-country flights. With the conference largely playing a schedule that has games on Thursdays and Sundays, Stanford typically doesn’t fly home between road games, instead making a hotel their home for a few days at a time. These players have done that.

“We have the flow and the rhythm,” Paye said. “We certainly learned things last year in terms of travel logistics and little things we can do that we feel like can help our team.”

Ahead is another opportunity for Stanford to get a signature road victory in the ACC. On Sunday, they’ll play in Chapel Hill against the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are ranked 15th in the latest USA Today Sports Coaches Poll.

The common throughline in Stanford’s three losses so far — to Florida Gulf Coast, Tennessee and N.C. State — is turnovers. They’ve had 18 or more in each defeat. And Courtney Banghart’s Tar Heels force 19.6 per game.

“We really have to improve our offensive execution,” Paye said. “We have to move the ball better.”

The expectations are clear for the Cardinal. An early ACC road win could help Stanford meet them.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and led the franchise to its first NBA championship, was named the 2025 Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the first NBA player to win the award since Warriors guard Stephen Curry in 2022, when he led Golden State to their fourth championship in eight years. He is also the first Canadian to win the award outright since 1982, when Wayne Gretzky took home the honors.

The 27-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander capped off a remarkable year by becoming the third Thunder player to win the regular-season MVP.

Led by Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder won 68 regular-season games. He also won his first scoring title, averaging 32.1 points per game, along with five rebounds and a career-high 6.4 assists, helping Oklahoma City finish first in defensive rating and third in offensive rating.

Gilgeous-Alexander, a three-time All-NBA First Team selection, then took the Thunder to the mountaintop with a seven-game NBA Finals victory over the Indiana Pacers. He averaged 30.3 points a game in the series and was named the Finals MVP.

The team rewarded that faith by giving him a four-year, $285 million supermax contract extension, keeping him with Oklahoma City through the 2030-31 season.

SGA told the magazine he realizes how lucky he is to win a title, considering the Thunder once had future MVPs Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden on the roster at the same time and each departed without a championship.

“That team had three MVP talents and anybody would have bet the house that they were going to eventually figure it out and win,” he said. “But you just never know with life and how things work out.” 

This season, Oklahoma City has gotten off to a 29-5 start, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 32.1 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds a game

Mississippi football closed out the College Football Playoff quarterfinals with a thrilling second-half performance from Trinidad Chambliss and Co. to pick up a shocking 39-34 upset over No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 1 inside Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

The Rebels’ biggest win in program history didn’t happen without some chaos and drama.

Following the go-ahead 47-yard field goal from Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro, the Rebels were awarded a safety after the Bulldogs’ attempt to run a trick play on the ensuing kickoff resulted in a fumble that hit the pylon. The game was originally ruled over, but after an official review, a second was added back onto the clock.

The chaos didn’t end there.

Georgia then successfully converted an 11-yard onside kick from Peyton Woodring. The 11th-hour attempt should have ended the game again. However, because Ole Miss players didn’t touch the ball, and Georgia recovered the ball past the line to gain, that one second on the clock was not removed.

‘If the ball is recovered legally after it goes 10 yards by a grounded player, the clock does not run,’ ESPN rules analyst Matt Austin said on the broadcast. ‘… If you just fall on it, then there is no time off.’

That miscue by Ole Miss provided Georgia with a shot at a Hail Mary play that began with a 4-yard pass from Gunner Stockton to Colbie Young. From there, the Bulldogs threw a few backward passes and laterals in hopes of finding a hole to get down the field. It failed for numerous reasons: Adrian Maddox was eventually tackled and Georgia was called for a block in the back.

The chaotic ending to the Sugar Bowl necessitated the removal of the postgame stage from the field several times, and loud boos, presumably from Rebels fans, were audible over the ESPN broadcast.

Next up for Ole Miss will be a date with Carson Beck and No. 10 Miami in the CFP Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday, Jan. 8 in Arizona.

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AI-assisted summary
• The college football transfer portal is set to create a major shift in quarterback lineups for the upcoming season.
• Several top programs, including Miami, LSU, and Florida, are expected to pursue new quarterbacks through the portal.
• Many potential transfers involve quarterbacks reuniting with former coaches at new schools.

The opening of the college football transfer portal will trigger a game of musical chairs at quarterback guaranteed to impact next year’s race for the national championship.

As evidence, just look at this year’s College Football Playoff, where over half the teams in the field started a transfer under center – Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Miami and Tulane.

One team that could influence how things unfold is Oregon, which is waiting on Dante Moore’s NFL draft decision. If he leaves, the Ducks will be near the top of the list for every high-profile transfer, potentially shaping plans for other contenders searching for a new starter.

As the portal heats up, let’s connect 10 Power Four programs with the best possible transfer fit:

Miami

Should Moore return, Miami’s recent success with Cam Ward and Carson Beck will make Coral Gables the most desirable destination for this year’s transfer class. One strong match is former Arizona State starter Sam Leavitt, who burst onto the national scene in 2024 but struggled through an injury-marred redshirt sophomore year. After a pair of one-year rentals, Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes could be enticed by the chance to secure someone who could be a multiple-season solution.

Texas Tech

Texas Tech is waiting on Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby, a native Texan who has starting experience, Big 12 experience and a dual-threat skill set that fits nicely in the Red Raiders’ scheme with Behren Morton moving on. Sorsby, however, could choose to forego his final season for the NFL if he receives a strong draft grade.

Indiana

Look for Curt Cignetti’s search for Fernando Mendoza’s replacement to land on TCU transfer Josh Hoover, who blossomed over two-plus years as the starter in Sonny Dykes’ scheme. While he’ll need to trim his turnovers, the rising senior has the makeup to help maintain the Hoosiers’ evolution into a Power Four powerhouse. As a high school recruit, Hoover was verbally committed to Indiana before flipping to the Horned Frogs.

Penn State

Drew Allar has exhausted his eligibility and replacement Ethan Grunkemeyer has an uncertain future. This one isn’t complicated: New coach Matt Campbell should be reunited with rising senior Rocco Becht, who started 39 games for Campbell at Iowa State and would ease his transition to the Big Ten.

LSU

Portal options might be tripping over themselves to get to the front of the line to play for Lane Kiffin at LSU. One is DJ Lagway, who oozes talent but never put things together in his two years at Florida. But Kiffin and the Tigers are likely waiting on a possible eligibility waiver for current Ole Miss starter Trinidad Chambliss, who has petitioned the NCAA for a sixth year. If he’s successful, Baton Rouge would be the obvious fit.

Florida

With Lagway gone and new coach Jon Sumrall in, the Gators could be in the market for multiple transfers to add to what is currently a thin quarterback room. One immediate connection is with Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo, who impressed in eight appearances over the past two years under new Florida coordinator Buster Faulkner. In his one start in 2025, Philo completed 21 of 28 passes for 373 yards against Gardner-Webb.

Auburn

Like Penn State, Auburn likely won’t look far for its new quarterback. As a first-year starter in 2025 under new coach Alex Golesh at South Florida, Byrum Brown threw for 3,158 yards, ran for 1,008 yards, had 42 combined touchdowns and might’ve been the nation’s most unheralded player. Landing Brown would really help speed up Golesh’s rebuilding project.

Clemson

Clemson could ignore the portal and roll with rising junior Christopher Vizzina, who threw for 406 yards in an uneven 2025 season as the primary backup, or redshirt freshman Chris Denson. But the Tigers really have to increase their options in what might be a make-or-break year. They should be in the mix for Sorsby, Lagway and others. One transfer who could bring some valuable athleticism to the competition is former Old Dominion starter Colton Joseph, who joined Brown as the only quarterbacks to throw for at least 2,000 yards and run for another 1,000 this season.

Tennessee

The idea of handing the keys to redshirt freshman George MacIntyre or incoming freshman Faizon Brandon should demand the addition of at least one experienced passer. Should the Volunteers be looking for a one-year rental before handing the keys to MacIntyre or Brandon in 2027, one option who checks the boxes is James Madison transfer Alonza Barnett III, a rising senior with the legs to bring an interesting new dimension to Josh Heupel’s offense.

Nebraska

The Cornhuskers will be looking for an offensive reboot built around a more athletic option. Rising sophomore TJ Lateef replaced an injured Dylan Raiola in early November and helped land the team in the Las Vegas Bowl, though he played poorly after an impressive debut against UCLA. One player who matches what Matt Rhule is looking for is Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey, a rising junior who pushed for the starting role this past summer and has looked very good in his limited opportunities.